#EZTALK #你不知道的美國大小事
🍽Tableware: Plates
🇺🇸美國生活諺語再開👉料理工具篇之「盤 plate」篇
在聊了這麼多跟 food 有關的生活用語之後，我們換個口味，來看看跟裝食物的容器：盤子plate有關的Idiom吧🤔
1⃣ have a lot of things on your plate
2⃣ have one’s plate full / have a full plate
3⃣ has/keeps (an amount of/all the) plates spinning
4⃣ blue plate special
5⃣ clean one’s plate
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We’ve talked a lot about food, but what about the tableware we put it on (and in)? Are there idioms in English that make use of plates, bowls and cups? Of course there are!
我們之前已經聊夠了跟食物有關的諺語，那麼，放食物的碗盤跟杯子，是否也有諺語呢？當然有囉！
Let’s start off with plates. If you have a lot of food on your plate, it’s going to take a long time to finish, right? In fact, you may not even be able to finish it at all. So if you say you 1⃣ have a lot of things on your plate, it means you have a lot of things to deal with, or a lot of work to do. Ex: I’d like to help you out, but I have a lot on my plate right now. The same meaning can be expressed with 2⃣“have one’s plate full” or “have a full plate.” Ex: I have a full plate today, but I should have free time on Friday.
我們這禮拜先介紹盤子（plate）。如果你的盤中盛了一大堆食物，表示你得花很多時間吃完，是吧？你甚至根本吃不完。所以，如果你說 have a lot of things on the plate，就是表達「手頭上有很多事情要處理、完成」。如：I’d like to help you out, but I have a lot on my plate right now.（我很想幫你，但我現在手上有很多事要忙。）片語have one’s plate full或have a full plate也是表達相同意思，如：I have a full plate today, but I should have free time on Friday.（我今天超忙的，但我週五應該有空。）
Have you ever seen a circus act where a performer spins a number of plates on top of wooden poles? It looks challenging, doesn’t it? So if you say 3⃣ somebody has/keeps (an amount of/all the) plates spinning, it means they’re dealing with a number of different things at once. Ex: I don’t know how working mothers manage to keep so many plates spinning.
你曾經看過雜耍團有人用木棍頂著一堆盤子旋轉嗎？看起來很難吧？所以，如果你說某人has/keeps (an amount of/all the) plate spinning，就是說他們正在處理一堆棘手、難以處理的事情。如：I don’t know how working mothers manage to keep so many plates spinning.（我不知道全職媽媽怎麼能處理這麼多麻煩事。）
But some plate-related idioms are actually about food. If you go to a diner or cafe in the U.S. or Canada, you may see a 4⃣“blue plate special” item on the menu. This refers to a low-priced meal that usually changes daily. But why is it called a blue plate special? Is it served on a blue plate? In the 1920s and ’30s, it actually was served on a blue plate, which is where the name comes from. But these days the plate is more likely to be white. Ex: The diner across the street has a good blue plate special.
不過，有些跟碗相關的諺語倒是真的跟食物有關。如果你去到美國或加拿大的餐廳或簡餐店，你或許會在菜單上看到「藍盤特餐」。這指的是每天會換的低價餐點。但為什麼要叫這個名稱呢？事實上，在二零到三零年代時期，當時餐點事實上是用藍色盤子裝的，所以才有這名稱的由來。不過最近供餐的盤子都已經換成白色的了。如：The diner across the street has a good blue plate special.（對街餐廳供應的便宜特餐很好吃。）
And finally, let’s talk about cleaning your plate. If you think this is about washing the dishes, you’re wrong. 5⃣ To clean one’s plate means to eat all of the food on it. Ex: The dinner Mom made was so good that we all cleaned our plates.
最後來聊聊洗盤子（clean your plate）這件事。如果你以為我們真的是要聊洗碗，那你就錯了。clean one’s plate事實上是「把所有東西吃光」的意思。如：The dinner Mom made was so good that we all cleaned our plates.（老媽煮的晚餐太好吃了，大家都吃到碗底朝天。）
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